It's like riding a bicycle

Week one is down and I'm feeling pretty good about myself. I have managed to take 4.8lbs off in the past seven days!

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By Michelle Hessling

Wayne Independent - Honesdale, PA

By Michelle Hessling

Posted Jan. 21, 2014 at 12:00 AM

By Michelle Hessling
Posted Jan. 21, 2014 at 12:00 AM

Week one is down and I'm feeling pretty good about myself. I have managed to take 4.8lbs off in the past seven days! I was diligent about planning my meals and tracking my food intake last week. I also did 30 minutes on the stationary bike five out of the past seven days this week which I think is what is probably driving the weight loss more than anything else. I just got the bike a few weeks ago and so far I have put 90 miles on the odometer. That's about the driving distance from Honesdale to Allentown. My personal goal is accumulate enough miles to have biked to Las Vegas (my happy place) between now and the end of the year. That's roughly 2,410 miles more which means I need to “bike” 48.2 miles per week for the next 50 weeks. I'm currently averaging 6 miles plus a day, so I need to pick up the pace just a tad. It's a totally obtainable goal though and something to daydream about while I'm pedaling away on that bike. I kicked it up a bit this week when I increased the tension setting to level two. Jim has been encouraging me to do that since I first got on the bike, but I know my limitations. I also know if I push it too far too fast I will be sorry. The week prior I started out easy on the lowest setting. After 7 days it was getting a little too easy, even for me. I am now finding that I'm almost ready for level three. Not quite, but almost. Maybe sometime this week, maybe next. I'll know when it's time. The truth is, I detest exercising. I'd much rather be spending my precious free time quilting or reading a good book this time of year. The bike though is tolerable and I'm trying to have some fun with it by setting the “Vegas Goal” for myself. It is also obviously working which is incentive enough. Another trick I have discovered is drinking 24 ounces of water with each meal. It fills me up quicker obviously but also forces me to consume 9 glasses a day which falls right in line with the daily recommendation of 8-10 glasses. Most folks do not realize how essential water is for the body. It aids digestion. It promotes healthier skin. It helps stimulate peristaltic muscles and circulation. It prevents your blood from becoming too thick which can cause heart disease. It also minimizes the chances of some cancers specifically colon, breast and bladder. All of which have a history in my family. One thing I didn't do last year during the Weight No More challenge and later regretted, was to record my measurements. I remembered to do so last week after my initial weigh in and I will be checking them every couple of weeks just to track inches lost. We did that years ago when I belonged to a TOPS group and it is really enlightening and drives results. If you're dieting along with us, keep the faith! It's like riding a bicycle. If you fall off it, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back on that bike!